Kernel task is hogging lots of threads and CPU time

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Level 1

80 points

Kernel task is hogging lots of threads and CPU time

My Mavericks Quad Macbook Pro is getting pretty slow these days and at some point I'll have to reinstall everything I think. However I can't start that for a while as I have important projects on the go. I looked in Activity Monitor first and I can see a kernel task constantly running with no indication of what it is doing. So I opened Console and looked at the Diagnostic log. I can see a lot of lines referring to com.apple.message. Hundreds of identical lines actually. I did not have Messages running so I opened it, and sure enough that showed up in console live. However the log shows a slightly different app and a totally different UUID, which seems odd.

Anybody understand what this is all about? See below. I opened one of the endlessly repeating items plus one that I know is from the Messages app below it.

23/03/2015 08:28:29.242 UserEventAgent[235]: com.apple.message.domain: com.apple.usage.app_activetime

com.apple.message.signature: universalAccessAuthWarn

com.apple.message.signature2: com.apple.accessibility.universalAccessAuthWarn ||| 1.0 (190.1)

com.apple.message.value: 633

com.apple.message.value2: 0

com.apple.message.value3: 0

com.apple.message.value4: 0

com.apple.message.value5: 0

com.apple.message.value6: 0

com.apple.message.value7: 0

com.apple.message.result: NO

com.apple.message.summarize: YES

Sender_Mach_UUID: 55428B1C-9198-32BF-80EA-4731081F402E

23/03/2015 08:44:17.426 Messages[8722]: com.apple.message.domain: com.apple.iChat.app.weeklyStats

com.apple.message.video_chat_passed: 0

com.apple.message.video_chat_failed: 0

com.apple.message.video_chat_noop: 0

com.apple.message.audio_chat_passed: 0

com.apple.message.audio_chat_failed: 0

com.apple.message.audio_chat_noop: 0

com.apple.message.screen_sharing_passed: 0

com.apple.message.screen_sharing_failed: 0

com.apple.message.screen_sharing_noop: 0

com.apple.message.average_message_length: 0.000000

com.apple.message.messages_sent: 0

com.apple.message.messages_received: 0

com.apple.message.sms_sent: 0

com.apple.message.sms_menu_used: User never selected SMS menu

com.apple.message.result: pass

com.apple.message.imessage_offered_upgrades: 0

com.apple.message.imessage_upgrades: 0

com.apple.message.imessage_declines: 0

com.apple.message.imessages_sent: 0

com.apple.message.imessages_received: 0

Sender_Mach_UUID: 212E34A8-B310-3729-8D11-879E9985A0BD

23/03/2015 08:44:17.427 Messages[8722]: com.apple.message.domain: com.apple.iChat.app.servicesUsedThisWeek

com.apple.message.aim: 0

com.apple.message.bonjour: 0

com.apple.message.yahoo: 0

com.apple.message.jabber: 0

com.apple.message.google_talk: 0

com.apple.message.imessage: 1

com.apple.message.other: 0

com.apple.message.result: pass

Sender_Mach_UUID: 212E34A8-B310-3729-8D11-879E9985A0BD

23/03/2015 08:44:32.607 Messages[8722]: com.apple.message.domain: com.apple.iChat.app.prefs

com.apple.message.one_on_one_style: com.apple.iChat.Styles.Balloons-ShowPictures

com.apple.message.group_style: com.apple.iChat.Styles.Balloons-ShowPictures

com.apple.message.incoming_bg_color: Automatic

com.apple.message.outgoing_bg_color: Automatic

com.apple.message.incoming_font: Default 12.000000

com.apple.message.outgoing_font: Default 12.000000

com.apple.message.save_history: Don't Save

Sender_Mach_UUID: 212E34A8-B310-3729-8D11-879E9985A0BD

MacBook Pro, OS X Mavericks (10.9.3), Quad core 2.5GHz

Posted on Mar 23, 2015 1:56 AM

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Answer 1

BobHarris

Level 9

53,273 points

Mar 23, 2015 5:46 AM in response to Rob Williams

The kernel_task is the heart of the operating system. It will have on the order of a 100 threads (more or less). So when you ask the operating system to do something, like read/write a disk, do network I/O, talk to your mouse/trackpad, keyboard, monitor, etc... kernel_task is the code that is going to do that at the lowest levels.

Also if you have installed any 3rd party drivers (kernel extensions), they are going to become part of kernel_task and the CPU time they use will be part of kernel_task.

If you have anti-malware, Mac cleaner or memory cleaner software installed, many of these packages install drivers that then try to out-guess the kernel_task and often result in slowing down the system, interfering with the normal operation of the system, or causing kernel panics. These kinds of packages are not recommended by long term forum contributors.

Please provide the output from EtreCheck, which will show the 3rd party additions you have installed.

<https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-6174>

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